HOW TO PLAY BLACKJACK AT HOME

So, you want to learn how to play blackjack at home for money or fun with friends! Blackjack is arguably the most popular game ever played in the casino, but it can be a fun home game as well. Playing blackjack at home can provide lots of entertainment and gambling fun as long as you understand a few things about the game.

If you are thinking about hosting a game of blackjack for your gambling buddies, we’ve put together a few suggestions that will make your blackjack game run smoothly and keep everyone happy. After reading this i suggest you browse the card countig methods posted on the site. if you pick one and practice it you will win your buddies money when you play at home! It is easier than you imagine! Also if you tend to play blackjack online you already are aware that card counting is not an option unless you play "live blackjack online"

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR BLACKJACK AT HOME

In order to run a successful game of home blackjack, you need a few basic items. These items are a necessity and must not be overlooked. If you don’t have them, don’t play. All of the items below can be found in a local store as well as online.

A card table. Card tables are designed to allow five or six players to play blackjack in comfort. Don’t try to use your dining table. Aside from the fact that your wife will be very unhappy with the scratches left behind by plastic chips, the dealer will have to stretch to reach everyone at the table. A card table is a must.

Plastic betting chips. These can be purchased in just about any drugstore and are relatively cheap. Don’t use toothpicks or matchsticks or real money. Chips keep everything unified and make it easier for everyone at the table to know how much money another player has.

Plastic-coated playing cards. You will need from 1-6 decks depending on how you want to deal your game. Do not use regular cardboard playing cards. Spend the extra money and invest in plastic-coated, waterproof cards. Why? First of all, one spilled drink at the table can ruin a deck of cheap cards and end the game. Second, plastic-coated cards can actually be washed after a set amount of hands to insure that they aren’t sticking together or otherwise compromising the integrity of your game.

A dealer’s button. These come with many card sets and are an invaluable resource. The dealer’s button sits in front of whoever is dealing and removes all confusion about which player is dealing.

A shoe (optional). If your home blackjack game is going to use multiple decks, buy a shoe and deal from it instead of dealing buy hand. These can be found in any gaming supply store online.

DEALING BLACKJACK AT HOME

Most card games that are played at home share a similar characteristic. All of these games involve the players competing against one another. Blackjack is very different. A group of friends who gather together to play blackjack will need to adapt their thinking regarding card games. Instead of trying to beat everyone else in the game, as in poker, there is only one player at the blackjack table that players must beat. This is the player who is taking their turn as the dealer.

There is an important reason why the duties of dealing must be shared in a blackjack game at home. Remember, in blackjack the dealer always has an edge. To be fair, all players must be given the opportunity to deal in order to insure that they all have a fair chance to win. Therefore, the first decision one needs to make in organizing a home blackjack game is to determine how players will take turns being the dealer. There are several ways to do this, but the following way is used most often.

Begin by having all of the players select a card at random from the deck. The player with the highest card will take the first turn as dealer. After this player’s turn is over, the position of dealer is passed to the player on the immediate left and this continues clockwise around the table until all players have had a chance to deal. At that point the first person who served as the dealer gets their second turn, and so on as long as the game is played.

The next thing to be decided is how long a player will deal before passing the cards to the next player. If you are using multiple decks in home blackjack game this is easily done. Use a cutting card just as they do in the casino. The cutting card is used to cut the deck and is placed approximately one-fourth of the way from the bottom of the deck. When this cutting card is reached in the deck the cards are reshuffled and a new dealer takes over.

What if you are using a single deck of cards? In this case the deck must be shuffled after each hand, so a new dealer can be selected after each hand. It is far better, however, to determine in advance a specific number of hands to be dealt by one player. A player can deal 3, 5, or even 10 hands before the next player gets to deal. The reason this is a better solution is that it safeguards against the player who is dealing from being wiped out on the first hand they deal. If the dealer busts on that first hand they deal and must pay everyone at the table, they have a better chance of recouping their losses if they continue to deal for a few more hands.

So, decide in advance how you will choose the first dealer and how many hands each player will be allowed to deal before the next player has their turn.

BETTING IN BLACKJACK AT HOME

Let’s face it. Blackjack isn’t blackjack without betting. The game of blackjack, like baccarat and poker, is a card game uniquely designed for betting. You will need to determine how the players will bet when playing blackjack at home.

To begin, you will need plastic poker chips. These are a must if you want to play a game of blackjack 21 at home. There are many different kinds of chips available, from cheap plastic ones to elegant clay ones such as those found in the casino. There are even some places that will allow you to order personalized chips! Unless you plan on hosting a regular weekly game it is best to buy some generic plastic chips in three different colors. Decide in advance how much money each color represents.

As the host of the blackjack game you must also be the banker. Players will give you their cash in exchange for chips to use in the game. You have a responsibility to keep this money secure so that all players may cash out at the end of the game.

Everyone needs to have enough chips to cover their turn in the dealer’s chair. This is the only time that a player must be able to cover the bets of everyone else at the table. It is mandatory that you, as the host of the game, establish a minimum buy-in for all players. In other words, all players must purchase a minimum number of chips before sitting down to play. This guarantees that everyone will be able to pay the other players if they lose when dealing.

Your minimum buy-in for each player should be 100 times the minimum bet in the game. If your minimum bet is $1 per hand, each player should have to purchase at least $100 in chips to start. Do not neglect this rule! If you allow a player with inadequate funds to play blackjack and they are unable to pay the winning bets when they are the dealer, you risk losing your card-playing buddies. People have a tendency to get very serious when it comes to gambling their money.

SECURITY IN BLACKJACK AT HOME

The chances are that everyone who will be participating in your home blackjack game will be people you know. Even so, there are a few things to be aware of regarding the security of your home blackjack game.

Remember to place the cash used by the players to buy chips in a secure location. Choose your location based on the stakes of your game. If your group is betting 25 cents a hand, a cigar box on the table might work just fine. If your group is betting $1 or $5 per hand, it might be better to use a cash box and lock it in your bedroom until the night is over.

The fact is, many home card games have been robbed. This is especially true for high-stake games. Don’t risk it. Be smart and keep everyone’s money safe until the night is over.

Another thing to consider, especially if you do not know everyone who will be participating in your game, is the kind of chips you will use. If you are using a standard plastic chip of the red, white, and blue variety, it is possible for a player you don’t know to conceal and bring identical chips to the game. Be sure you have a count of all the chips you are using and that the count balances out after everyone has been paid.

If you are hosting a regular blackjack game where people sometimes show up that you do not know, it is best to invest in personalized chips that cannot be found elsewhere.